Looking at life from both sides September 29, 2009
Posted by Alien Drums in Evolution.2 comments
It’s strange when a Christian throws another Christian an idealogical curveball and then equally strange when a athiest gives the believer something about which to say a hardy “amen.”
My first reading of John Shelby Spong accounts for the Christian curveball. I love his questions, his probing of conventional Christian wisdom; but sometimes he makes big jumps of seeming logic. In other words, sometimes he says A + B = C, but you’re not so sure.
It reminds me of being in geometry back in high school. The teacher kept talking to us about using the proper “proofs” to solve a problem, but it all seemed a bit arbitrary to my mind, which loved algebra. (Geometry caused me to cancel my plans for calculus and trig, and I’ve always blamed my geometry teacher; surely my struggles were no falt of my own.)
I’m going to blame Spong, as well; surely it’s not me. When he says evolutionary theory pulls the rug out from under traditional Christian notions of an external, personal God, I’m just not sure it does. I think I can deal with that reality if evolutionary theory really does what he says, but, convince me. To be fair to Spong, I’m not through reading the book, Why Christian Must Change or Die, but he didn’t have me from “hello.”
Then comes famed aitheist Richard Dawkins in the Oct. 5 issue of Newsweek, and he gives me a little unintended affirmation. In a Q&A titled “Darwin’s Rottweiler,” Lisa Miller asks him, “Are those incompatible positions: to believe in God and to believe in evolution?”
Dawkins: “No, I don’t think they’re incompatible if only because there are many intelligent evolutionary scientists who also believe in God. …”
That, to me, is a pretty weak proof since intelligent people are not the same as inerrant people, but I’ll take it. I’m not an intelligent evolutionary scientist, but I think there must be something to this evolution stuff and I have no problem seeing truth in it while also believing in God.
So, thank you Richard Dawkins, for helping me have faith for another day.
Taking an agnostic’s challenge March 9, 2007
Posted by Alien Drums in Christianity, Evolution, Homosexuality, Jesus, Prayer, Religion.17 comments
I have an agnostic friend who doesn’t understand why more Christians do not stand up to intolerant, judgmental Christians. She has a point
“When I hear intolerant Christians having a public fit about people who believe in evolution or are gay or who don’t agree with prayer in school, saying that such people are doomed to hell and ought to be silenced, it makes a difference when I’m thinking about heading to church on Sunday,” Holly writes.
She has a point. I accept my own responsibility for failing to speak up against such voices. I think those of us who are more tolerant are hesitant to publicly criticize a fellow believer; but maybe that’s just an excuse.
Let me go on record regarding the things Holly mentioned:
– I do not think faith in Christ rules out acceptance of the theory of evolution. In fact, I suspect that’s how God did it; but I don’t know. I don’t trust those who rule out evolution, nor do I trust those who have more faith in a theory than in God. History has shown science to be just as fallible as Christians.
– I think Christians who have a fixation on the gay issue have deeper issues at work. The Bible says homosexual behavior is wrong, so that’s what I think. The Bible also says pride and gluttony are wrong, but I am occasionally guilty of both. Jesus came to die for gay people just like He came to die for me.
– I think prescribed prayer in public schools is a bad thing because the state has no business telling people how to pray. If Muslims ever out-populate Christians, I would hate for the Christian kids to have to pray in a Muslim fashion. Of course, any child can pray any time in public school; but they simply need to have God as the only hearer. That’s who it is for anyway.
– As for condemning people to hell, I’m going to leave that to God. I believe in a God of justice and grace. I kind of go with the old line that if someone goes to hell it’s because they chose it, not because God sent them there. Do you have to trust your life to Jesus or you go to hell? That’s what the Bible seems to say, but I trust God to do what is right by His children — that’s all of us.
Holly then mentioned the recent story about James Dobson and others seeking to get Richard Cizik, a vice president with the National Association of Evangelicals, fired for leading the organization to speak out about man-made global warming. I was disgusted by Dobson and compatriots. Three cheers for Cizik and for his boss, Leith Anderson, refusing to fire him.
Thank you, Holly, for reminding us Christians to stand up publicly to oppose the un-Christlike behavior of our fellow believers. Of course, my behavior is not always Christlike either, so I am depending on grace, the grace that came to Earth through Jesus of Nazareth.
Of course, I remain anonymous because I fear the retribution of intolerant Christian fundamentalists. I wish it were not so.
